We were so close to the 200 mark for total birds. Considering the numbers we caught last morning and the fact that the winds had died down made everyone certain that we could probably catch 12 birds in just the first net round alone to make the mark. After a quick breakfast at 6am, the banders entered the banding station for our final day at Burns. We would be closing up by noon.
Going out to unfurl the nets one last time, we were surrounded by the calls of some birds. Certainly not as many as we had heard yesterday morning or during the afternoon two days ago, but a number that we felt good about. Burns day 3 was a lot like a day at Zuma. We got a fair number of birds and didn’t have to remove a crazy number each time we checked the nets. Needless to say, the lower number of birds was compensated with more interesting birds.
That morning, of the 42 birds we caught in 60 net hours, 24 ended up being White-crowned Sparrows (about 57%). The remaining 43% was filled by birds like Brewer’s Sparrows, House Finches, and Orange-crowned Warblers. I even got the pleasure of getting to practice banding and processing a Black-headed Grosbeak.
As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, Black-headed Grosbeaks can be a bit feisty at times. Their easily maneuverable neck and bulky seed-crushing beak gives them super biting abilities. And I mean, I get it. What bird would want to be handled by humans and then have to fly away with a fine piece of jewelry around their leg? But, their bites really hurt. Once they get a hold of your finger, they won’t let go no matter how hard you pull. When you’ve been attacked, there are few options to get unstuck.
Reaching into the bag containing the grosbeak, I braced myself for any future pain. With caution, I extended the neck up just a little bit so that the bird couldn’t move their neck as easily to bite me. So far so good. I grab a band and put it on the leg of the bird. Pulling out the wing, I look for feather wear on the primaries and flight feather molt. I feel near the sternum to determine muscle. I blow on the belly to reveal fat, body molt, and breeding status. All good, all good, ouch! The after-second year (ASY) female got me! As recommended by another bander, I jabbed my short fingernail into the bird’s leg, hoping she would release her grip on my finger. Three tries later, my finger was free and the bite mark wasn’t that bad. After a quick photo shoot, I let the grosbeak go and she flew into a nearby oak. I must say, I was kinda proud with myself.
The grosbeak wasn’t the only fun bird of the day. Net 11, one of two nets near a water feature, had caught both a Cassin’s Vireo and a Lazuli Bunting!! The vireo was a lifer for me and I had never really gotten a good look at a Lazuli before. But with both birds inches from my face and legs between my fingers, I could see everything! The stunning white eye ring around the vireo’s brown iris, the blue-gray and green-yellow feathers. The bunting’s blue head and back mottled with brown and an eye catching orange chest. Both birds were the stars of the day!
With three consecutive days banding at Burns, we had topped last year’s spring numbers by far, amounting a total of 230 birds!! I had processed 52 of them, about 23%. I feel very proud about this statistic as I knew I was contributing to science and conservation efforts to better understand the birds I was banding. The whole trip was such a wonderful experience for me. I learned to process birds faster and got better at removing birds from nets. I’m so thankful to have been able to join the other banders at Burns. I had a fantastic time!!
When noon arrived, we started taking down the nets, loading our cars, and cleaning out the house. I said goodbye to the incredible landscape as my dad drove the car down the sandy road. I said goodbye to all the flora and fauna and looked forward to coming back in the fall. Until then though, I have the wonderful memories and good times with the birds and bird banders to reminisce about. I thought about the next Zuma banding cycle, only a short 6 days away.
